Erdogan advocates a greater effort by Stockholm, in particular in the fight against terrorist organizations, to complete the process.
The Turkish President indicated this Monday that Ankara is not yet ready to ratify Sweden’s accession to NATO, advocating a greater effort on the part of Stockholm, in particular in the fight against terrorist organisations, for the completion of the process.
Speaking after a Council of Ministers meeting, Recep Tayyip Erdogan also renewed his condemnation of a protest where a copy of the Koran was burned in Sweden last week, describing the action as a hate crime against Muslims.
“We made it clear that the determined fight against terrorist organizations and Islamophobia is our red line,” Erdogan said.
“Everyone must accept that Turkey’s friendship cannot be won by supporting terrorism or opening space for terrorists,” he added.
Turkey has delayed final approval of Sweden’s membership of the Atlantic Alliance, accusing the country of being too tolerant of demonstrations and anti-Islamic groups that Ankara considers threats to its security, including militant Kurdish groups that have waged a decades-long insurgency in the territory. Turkish.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) waged a 38-year insurgency against Turkey that left tens of thousands dead. It is designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union (EU).
Most NATO member states want to integrate Sweden into the organization until the summit scheduled in Lithuania for the next 11th and 12th of July, but Erdogan said that Stockholm still has obligations to fulfill.
For new membership, NATO requires unanimous approval from all members to expand, and Turkey and Hungary are the only countries that have yet to ratify Sweden’s proposal.
“Instead of wasting time on distraction tactics, we believe that delivering on promises will be a more rational and beneficial method,” Erdogan said.
“We advise you to reflect and do your homework better”, he stressed.
The newly elected Turkish leader was referring to a memorandum that Sweden and Finland signed with Turkey last year, according to which they agreed to address Ankara’s concerns. Combating Islamophobia was not included in the document.
On June 28, a man of Iraqi origin burned a copy of the Koran outside the central mosque in Stockholm, in the first act of its kind authorized by the Swedish police after the courts overturned a previous ban. The protest was attended by about two hundred people and a strong police presence.
“The vile attack on our holy book, the holy Koran, in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, has infuriated us all,” Erdogan said, warning that “this perverted disrespect for the feelings of two billion Muslims cannot be compatible with the most basic human values, let alone freedom of thought”.
Sweden and Finland have abandoned their traditional positions of military non-alignment to seek NATO protection, fearing they could be targeted by Moscow after the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year.
Finland joined the Atlantic Alliance last April, after Turkey’s parliament ratified the Nordic country’s candidacy.
Sweden has changed its anti-terrorism legislation since applying for NATO membership, but Turkey argues that supporters of militant groups can freely organize demonstrations, recruit and obtain financial resources in the country.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg last week called a July 6 meeting of senior officials from Turkey, Sweden and Finland to try to overcome Turkish objections to Stockholm’s membership.
